When Is a Model a Work of Art?

The tradition of supers becoming supersized as sculptures, portraits, and paintings is long and storied. Lucian Freud painted Kate Moss, Shaun Lean made a cast of Laura Morgan for his coiled corset for Lee Alexander McQueen, and Maggie Maurer’s face is immortalized on a Schiaparelli bag. Now Alex Consani, Gen Z’s model of the moment, seems to have inspired one of the digital personas Tomokazu Matsuyama, aka Matsu, created for his “Midnight Moment.”

The “Midnight Moment” project came together in 2012 as a way to add art to the frenetic environment that is Times Square, by showcasing commissioned artworks on the hundreds of billboards from 41st to 49th Street from 11:57 p.m. to midnight. Starting on March 31 and running through the month of April, the Brooklyn-based Japanese contemporary artist Matsuyama, who is known for colorful and fantastical reimaginings of references new and old, gets his turn.

Tomokazu Matsuyama, Still from Morning Again, 2026. Courtesy of the artist.

It took Matsuyama several months to figure out what form his 180 seconds would take. “I didn’t want to just animate my work and have it boom live,” he said. “Times Square represents so much of New York, I wanted to find a way for this project to be meaningful.” He did that by leaning on friends and muses who are defining culture today, among them Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz, Naomi Watanabe, and Alex Consani as starting points for his digital recreations. “I wanted to echo the people who have voices that make our community much brighter, welcoming what it is to be American in this country,” he said.

The significance of the project wasn’t lost on Consani, a Brooklyn girl herself. Before she became one of fashion’s most sought after models, she briefly studied art at Pace University in New York City. “I think it’s a really cool thing to be able to appreciate the meaning behind artwork,” she said on a visit to Matsu’s Greenpoint studio for a first look at her digital avatar. “We’re all so privileged to see so much art and creativity, especially now thanks to social media, and you can get really blindsided in a way. To be able to see things and how much intention people are putting into their work is really special.”

Tomokazu Matsuyama, Still from Morning Again, 2026. Courtesy of the artist.